Riglol hack: unlock extra features on Rigol oscilloscopes (like DS1054Z)

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Rigol DS1054z Oscilloscope

There’s a lot of scattered information out there on the “riglol” hack for the Rigol DS1054Z and other 1000Z, 2000, and 4000-series oscilloscopes. The main takeaways I’ve gleaned are:

  1. There are at least two sites hosting the riglol key generator:
  2. Here is a good < 5 minute video demonstrating the hack. It also shows how to telnet into the scope and reset the feature set to factory default using the uninstall command :SYStem:OPTion:UNINSTall. It is also possible to install options using the :SYStem:OPTion:INSTall command.
  3. Use the DSER code, not DSFR. The latter unlocks all options including a reportedly buggy 500 uV/div vertical scale resolution. The former, DSER, does the same except the buggy 500 uV/div. If you muck it up and install the DSFR code, you can restore factory settings using the above :SYStem:OPTion:UNINSTall command via telnet and then redo the hack using the DSER code.
  4. The hack is confirmed to work with DS1054Z scopes through at least March 2018 which use software version 00.04.04 SP3 software and board version 0.1.1.
  5. It is said that the bug enabling the hack is in the encryption implementation built into the scope firmware, so there is no way for the manufacturer to fix the bug without forcing all users everywhere to manually re-enter a new product code. This makes it very unlikely the bug will ever be retroactively fixed for extant scopes.

Works cited:

Panos, Kristina, How to Get 50 More Zed from your Rigol DS1054Z. Hackaday, November 12, 2014.


EEVblog Forum Topic: Upgrading Rigol DS1074Z (1000Z series) to unlock options, Reply #50 pp. 3. April 26, 2015.

I received my unit last week and now I can confirm that the hack still work on this model:

Rigol DS1074Z
Software Version: 00.04.02.SP3
Board Version: 0.1.1

I aply the “DSER” code (all options except the buggy 500 uV/div) and now in the “Options Installed” I see that all are official and a new option has appeared, the “Bandwidth 100M” option and is official too.

So, excellent news! I have to say, excellent vblog (EEVblog off course), excellent forum and excellent oscilloscope! Thanks a lot for your support and best regards,

Mauro.


EEVblog Forum Topic: DS1054Z hack still good?, Reply #51 pp. 3. January 06, 2018.

It has been and for ever will be a “hackable” scope since the flaw is in the implementation of the encryption – if Rigol wanted to fix that in firmware, they would have to also supply everyone who bought additional features at any point in time with new keys and I do not think they are willing to go through all this trouble.
Personally I would not want to be responsible for all the backlash this would cause.


EEVblog Forum Topic: Upgrading Rigol DS1074Z (1000Z series) to unlock options, Reply #55 pp. 3. July 16, 2015.

Quote from: JohnPen on July 16, 2015, 05:27:26 pm

I used the ‘goroot’ site and upgrading via Ultra Sigma. The first 2 key generating attempts failed to upgrade the 1054Z however the third worked perfectly. It would seem that the key generator does not always work properly and it might be worth generating the code at least twice before inputting the upgrade code into the scope. There was certainly no error in my serial number input as it was the same paste each time.

It has been reported that the key generator does have problems with some browsers. Clearing your cache first and running it a few times seems to generate an acceptable code. Afterwards, it doesn’t matter how the code is entered into the scope.


EEVblog Forum Topic: DS1054Z hack still good?, Reply #65 pp. 3. July 06, 2018.

Same here. the hacks on the Siglent so far are too technical to me. I would [like] to learn to access code from a JTAG connector.
REgarding the Rigol. I just bought one. even with all the upgrades “official” I added the 100MHz upgrade with the suggusted code preference per these forum posts. worked fine. and did not [lose] the already installed upgrades.


EEVblog Forum Topic: DS1054Z hack still good?, Reply #66 pp. 3. July 06, 2018.

Seller did not say anything about any included upgrades at all. just a base unit at a little over $200. hum.. maybe more. The box was still original manufacturer sealed. I think Rigol is just going ahead and including all upgrades except the 100MHz on these units now.

As mentioned in the other thread: no guesswork required, Rigol does indeed include all options for free.  Presumably “for a limited time only”, but the offer has been standing for months now. See here for example, under “free software bundle”:
https://www.tequipment.net/Rigol/DS1054Z/Digital-Oscilloscopes/

The price you mention seems too good to be true, however, options or not. Where did you get the DS1054Z for “a little over $200”?


Topic: Is DS1054Z with firmware 00.04.02.SP3 hackable?, Reply #3 pp. 1, Dec 21, 2014.

Select DSER. If you select DSFR you will get 500micro volt sensitivity and this has been reported to be buggy and cause problems. DSER gets you everything else.

If that page doesn’t generate a good code the first time, close it, clear your cache, and try again. I didn’t get a good code the first time round.

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